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The first Africa Resilience Forum

On 10 and 11 January 2017 in Abidjan, the African Development Bank (AfDB) hosted the first edition of the Africa Resilience Forum. The event was organised in partnership with several institutions including the African Union, UNDP, the Office of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), the World Bank, the G7 + Secretariat and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), and was attended by more than 150 participants. This first forum focused on “Operationalising the High 5 for a Resilient Africa,” with reference to the five priorities defined by AfDB President Akinwumi Adesina. In his inaugural speech, he stressed the need to understand the stakes of and the factors contributing to fragility, especially at a time when the continent is undergoing profound socio-economic, demographic, environmental and political changes. Institutional strengthening appears to be a primary tool of resilience, and its promotion requires a co-ordinated approach from the various partners and it requires actions at the national and regional levels, which the forum intends to help put in place. For its part, the AfDB will focus on several essential domains in order for countries to emerge from the cycle of fragility - namely energy, agriculture, private sector development, regional integration, quality of life, especially for young people.